[% setvar title The Perl 6 Summary for the week ending 2005-12-04 %]
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<a name='The Perl 6 Summary for the week ending 2005-12-04'></a><h1>The Perl 6 Summary for the week ending 2005-12-04</h1>
<p>I heard a rumour on the London.pm mailing list week. Apparently the Perl 6
Summaries are no longer being published. As I'm sure you can imagine, it came
as something of a surprise to me.</p>
<p>This week has been all about Parrot, Leo's got the new lexical scheme, calling
conventions and exception handlers working and made Parrot stricter about
arguments. The end of the week saw the release of 'Luthor', version 0.4.0 of
Parrot. Read on for more details...</p>
<a name='This week in perl6-compiler'></a><h1>This week in perl6-compiler</h1>
<p>Um... one post in perl6-compiler this week. And that was crossposted to
perl6-language. And because it got posted at the end of the week, none of the
actual discussion occurred this week.</p>
<p>Moving swiftly on...</p>
<a name='This week in perl6-internals'></a><h1>This week in perl6-internals</h1>
<p>Much more going on here as everyone rushed towards the release of Parrot
0.4.0 &quot;Luthor&quot; at the end of the week.</p>
<a name='Exception handlers and calling conventions'></a><h2>Exception handlers and calling conventions</h2>
<p>As I predicted last week, Leo's brain dump about exception handling got
discussed this week. It was well liked, and after a small bit of sugar was
sprinkled on to make ParTCL's life a little easier (and possibly unsprinkled
later) all manner of things were well.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=5b4f21642641211939b10fe8548ea876@toetsch.at' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='Subs may not contain dynamic call info, ever'></a><h2>Subs may not contain dynamic call info, ever</h2>
<p>Chip posted a clarification of his comments on what data could and couldn't be
hung off a Sub object at runtime. Let's be reentrant people.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=20051128035833.GD6446@tytlal.topaz.cx' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='PDD20 Tcl'></a><h2>PDD20 Tcl</h2>
<p>Will Coleda announced that ParTCL is now working with the new lexically lovely
Parrot calling conventions. There was much rejoicing.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=A235A03B-6CF1-4C5A-83FB-AB49805ED491@coleda.com' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='Test::More and Tests in PIR'></a><h2>Test::More and Tests in PIR</h2>
<p>Leo showed the love for chromatic's shiny pure parrot implementation of
Test::More. So the patch was applied.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=cbd309ab4fac265f6ceab71ccb2cd91d@toetsch.at' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='Upcoming changes'></a><h2>Upcoming changes</h2>
<p>Leo announced the scratchpad's impending doom and outlined the planned change
for comment. Nobody commented, and the changes went in.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=5c3a3e2a9838b2e7ed45b7a0d03d52f7@toetsch.at' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='Parrot directory reorganization'></a><h2>Parrot directory reorganization</h2>
<p>Quick quiz: where would you expect to find tests in the parrot distribution?
How about generated source files?</p>
<p>Jerry Gay proposed a reorganization to make things a little more lovely.</p>
<p>The consensus seemed to be that a reorg along Jerry's lines wouldn't be a bad
idea, but Chip pointed out that, whatever gets done it should be done
'cautiously so as to minimize unpleasantness'. So Jerry is proceeding
cautiously, starting with a host of new TODO tickets in RT.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=1d9a3f400511281645s5e75a64fl529dfad83f8457af@mail.gmail.com' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='Solving = confusion: ':=' for aliasing'></a><h2>Solving <code>=</code> confusion: ':=' for aliasing</h2>
<p>There are those of us who are wondering why this one took so long...</p>
<p>Chip proposed that people start to spell aliasing as <code>:=</code> and assignment as
<code>=</code>. I think it's a really good idea, but then I don't have a large amount of
PIR code to maintain so what do I know. Some other folks weren't so sure, but
Chip is not to be denied. Discussion then span off into what language to write
the automagical translator in.</p>
<p>I believe this may involve writing it in PIR then converting it to PIL, which
would be converted to Perl 5 using pugs and then Larry's Perl 5 to Perl 5
project could be used to convert it to XML, which could then be modified using
XSLT and converted back into PIR using some scary voodoo magic.</p>
<p>Or they could just write it in Perl 5. Prosaic, but possible right now.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=20051129200801.GT6446@tytlal.topaz.cx' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='PDD03 Revisions'></a><h2>PDD03 Revisions</h2>
<p>Chip announced that he'd put up another revision of PDD03 on Parrot calling
conventions. Most of the changes are simple clarifications and flag renaming,
but he's also proposing a new <code>READONLY</code> flag for <code>get_params</code> to make it
easy to support the default Perl 6 argument mode. Response was muted, but
favourable.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=20051130030122.GL6446@tytlal.topaz.cx' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='PDD03 and Overflow/Underflow'></a><h2>PDD03 and Overflow/Underflow</h2>
<p>It's been mandated for ages that Parrot should throw an exception when
functions get called with the wrong number of arguments. It's always been one
of those things that will be implemented 'some day'. Well this week had a
someday in it as Leo made parrot do what it's supposed to do. And broke PGE for
a while...</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=438D8A90.8070105@toetsch.at' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='PDD20 questions'></a><h2>PDD20 questions</h2>
<p>Jonathan Sillito is a class act. He didn't just ask a bunch of questions about
the new PDD20 on lexical variables, he promised to take the answers he received
and use them to patch PDD20 to make things clearer. Spurred on by this promise,
Chip was unstinting in his answers and clarifications of them. Which is nice.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=8be166ff0511301202s4382b6efwc579d7d711419bc9@mail.gmail.com' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='PIR methods and local variables occupy the same 'namespace''></a><h2>PIR methods and local variables occupy the same 'namespace'</h2>
<p>Allison Randal used Snarks, Boojums and Thingies to demonstrate a possible
problem with the way Parrots local variable and method namespaces overlap. Leo
pointed out that this can sometimes be useful. So, for the time being, Parrot
continues as is in this area. If you go getting the bowsprit and the rudder
mixed up, it's your own silly fault.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=AB54429A-690E-47FA-805C-33FEEBAF9EB9@perl.org' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='Suddenly... Namespaces!'></a><h2>Suddenly... Namespaces!</h2>
<p>After &quot;many months and lots of work,&quot; Matt Diephouse returned from the mountain
top bearing a couple of stone tablets. One was labelled 'Namespace Spec' and the
other '[Draft]'. Muttering dark incantations about giving a discussion eyes, he
laid out their contents and asked for comments. And low, there were comments in
abundance. I would attempt to summarize both the spec and the ensuing
discussion but, alas, the margin here is narrow and my time is short. Suffice
it to say that if namespaces are your bag, you should read this thread.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=198c87380512012231w42dee5a9y96c9c06508b55fbe@mail.gmail.com' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='HLL and autoboxing'></a><h2>HLL and autoboxing</h2>
<p>Okay, who else has an image of two of those transformer robot things from the
Renault Megane advert punching each others' lights out?</p>
<p>Ahem.</p>
<p>I'm afraid I didn't quite understand François Perrad's question about maps and
autoboxing. Luckily Roger Browne and Leo did.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=5.1.0.14.2.20051202100324.02cfe6d8@pop.besancon.parkeon.com' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='Punie's demo likes its memory'></a><h2>Punie's demo likes its memory</h2>
<p>Jerry Gay worried that Punie is using way too much memory, running out of the
stuff on his 512Mb machine. He wondered if it was a bug or to be expected. Luke
thought it might be an issue with the algorithm used in the attribute grammar
implementation which is somewhat less than abstemious with memory. Nick
Glencross noted that, after he'd done a nuke of the distribution and rechecked
it out, the problem seemed to go away. So, it's either fixed, or there was
something odd going on somewhere.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=1d9a3f400512021414t6b789daev5c4bc5df089938da@mail.gmail.com' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='Parrot 0.4.0 &quot;Luthor&quot;'></a><h2>Parrot 0.4.0 &quot;Luthor&quot;</h2>
<p>Leo announced the usual freezes and parrot proceeded smoothly down the road to
release. After the release he discussed goals for the next release and asked
for comments.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=ed864ea1d4db3a436c7de6d6bf4046f8@toetsch.at' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=df23aee8ec07c676e2748102f6668d72@toetsch.at' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<a name='Meanwhile, in perl6-language'></a><h1>Meanwhile, in perl6-language</h1>
<p>A quiet week here too.</p>
<a name='Capabilities in Perl 6'></a><h2>Capabilities in Perl 6</h2>
<p>Rob Kinyon has read slides on CAPerl and had some thoughts about how to build
the idea into Perl 6. Larry and Yuval Kogman commented on it.</p>
<p><a href='http://groups.google.com/groups?threadm=70384420512010754w1dbdc62cq5404a295da5b6e7e@mail.gmail.com' target='_blank'>groups.google.com</a></p>
<p><a href='http://caperl.links.org' target='_blank'>caperl.links.org</a></p>
<a name='Acknowledgements, apologies and everything else'></a><h1>Acknowledgements, apologies and everything else</h1>
<p>It's not exactly Monday today is it? Well, I could lie and claim that I was
waiting for the Perl Foundation blog to be announced before I posted the
summary, but that would be Wrong. Instead I shall claim (with some
justification) that there's an awful lot of things that need sorting out when
you're moving house, and they take far longer than you expect.</p>
<p>My ankle and shin are progressing nicely, thanks for asking, and there has been
a good deal less random swearing in the Cawley household this week.</p>
<p><a href='http://blog.perlfoundation.org/' target='_blank'>blog.perlfoundation.org</a> -- The Perl Foundation blog</p>
<a name='Help Chip'></a><h2>Help Chip</h2>
<p><a href='http://geeksunite.org/' target='_blank'>geeksunite.org</a> -- Chip still needs help.</p>
<a name='The usual coda'></a><h2>The usual coda</h2>
<p>If you find these summaries useful or enjoyable, please consider
contributing to the Perl Foundation to help support the development of
Perl.</p>
<p><a href='http://donate.perlfoundation.org/' target='_blank'>donate.perlfoundation.org</a> -- The Perl Foundation</p>
<p><a href='http://dev.perl.org/perl6/' target='_blank'>dev.perl.org</a> -- Perl 6 Development site</p>
<p>Check out my website, it's lovely.</p>
<p><a href='http://www.bofh.org.uk/' target='_blank'>www.bofh.org.uk</a></p>
<p>Vaguely pretty photos by me can be found at:</p>
<p><a href='http://www.flickr.com/photos/pdcawley' target='_blank'>www.flickr.com</a></p>
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